![]() ![]() If you live in an area where it’s too cold to grow the Sweet Sugar Tyme® Crabapple outdoors or if you’d like to set up one or more on a patio or deck, you’ll be pleased to know that you can grow crabapples in containers. It should be crisp and firm, but not difficult to bite. A ripe crabapple will have dark brown seeds when you cut it open unripe fruit has light seeds. If you are interested in harvesting the fruit from your crabapple, wait to do so until the fruits have turned a vivid red. Diseases of the crabapple include fire blight and cedar apple rust, but these are unlikely to be seen on the Sweet Sugar Tyme® Crabapple since it is resistant to them. Light infestations shouldn’t bother your tree but if insect pressure is heavy, consider releasing beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to attack them. Traps for the latter are available at most garden stores. Pests that are sometimes seen on crabapples include aphids, mites and Japanese beetles. Pests and diseasesįew pests or diseases bother this cultivar, so it’s rare to have any issues with your Sweet Sugar Tyme® Crabapple. You shouldn’t need to prune for shape, but if you wish to lightly prune to open up the canopy for better air circulation, do it after the tree has flowered. Prune out any dead, diseased or damaged branches whenever you see them. Bees and wasps are the primary agents of pollination, moving the pollen from male to female reproductive organs on each tree. You will, however, reap more fruit if you plant another crabapple nearby. The Sweet Sugar Tyme® Crabapple is monoecious, or self-fertile, and you will be able to harvest crabapples with only one tree. Fertilize in early spring before the tree flowers with a balanced, slow-release product designed for landscape trees and shrubs, such as a 5-5-5 formula. Once established, these trees are fairly drought-resistant and shouldn’t need supplemental water unless you’re experiencing very dry weather. If you have very hot or dry weather, increase watering to several times a week. Watering and nutrientsįor the first year after planting, water your tree weekly throughout the growing season, giving it about an inch of water each time. Apply a two to three-inch layer of organic mulch such as bark chips around the root zone to conserve water and hinder weed growth but keep it from touching the trunk to avoid problems with rot. Holding the tree upright and steady, fill in around the roots with topsoil that’s been mixed with well-rotted compost or manure, tamping down as you go to eliminate air pockets. Place the tree in the hole, spreading out the roots. Dig a hole that’s as deep as the root ball and twice as wide. Unpot your sapling, and tease out any encircling roots, which can girdle the tree and slowly kill it. Site your tree in soil that drains well and receives at least six hours of direct sunlight a day. By Mary Van Keuren | Gardener (30+ Years Experience) – last update on November 4, 2022 ![]()
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